Metal alloy products may be prepared, for example, using ingot metallurgy operations or powder metallurgy operations. Ingot metallurgy operations may involve the melting of an alloy feedstock and the casting of the molten material into an ingot. A non-limiting example of an ingot metallurgy operation is a “triple melt” technique, which includes three melting operations: (1) vacuum induction melting (VIM) to prepare a desired alloy composition from a feedstock; (2) electroslag refining (ESR), which may reduce levels of, for example, oxygen-containing inclusions; and (3) vacuum arc remelting (VAR), which may reduce compositional segregation that may occur during solidification after ESR. An ingot may be formed during solidification after a VAR operation.
Powder metallurgy operations may involve atomization of molten alloy and the collection and consolidation of solidified metallurgical powders into an ingot. A non-limiting example of a powder metallurgy operation includes the steps of: (1) VIM to prepare a desired alloy composition from a feedstock; (2) atomization of molten alloy into molten alloy droplets that solidify into alloy powder; (3) optionally, sieving to reduce inclusions; (4) canning and degassing; and (5) pressing to consolidate the alloy powder into an alloy ingot.
The alloy ingots formed from ingot metallurgy operations and powder metallurgy operations may be hot worked to produce other alloy products. For example, after solidification or consolidation to form an alloy ingot, the ingot may undergo forging and/or extrusion to form a billet or other alloy article from the ingot.